With Chaudhary, a Kurmi leader at the top party post in UP, Maurya, also an OBC leader, urged party workers to punch holes in “the fake PDA call” of the Samajwadi Party. (file)
Congratulating Pankaj Chaudhary on his appointment as the new UP BJP president, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday said that under his leadership, the BJP cadres would have to take a pledge to strive for a larger mandate in the 2027 Assembly polls, even bigger than the party’s 312 out of 403 seats in 2017.
With Chaudhary, a Kurmi leader at the top party post in UP, Maurya, also an OBC leader, urged party workers to punch holes in “the fake PDA call” of the Samajwadi Party.
The SP has been pitching for PDA – Picchda, Dalit, and Alpsankhyak (OBCs, Dalits, and minorities).
Assuring full support to Chaudhary, Maurya said that while the balloon of the SP-Congress alliance lost its air in the recent elections, but added that before winning in UP, the party has to emerge victorious in the Assembly elections in West Bengal due early next year.
With Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior leaders on the dais, Maurya asked party workers to raise the slogan, “Baki sab kuch jaiye bhul, yaad rakhiye mannaniya Narendra Modi aur Kamal ka phool” (Forget everything, and just remember Narendra Modi and lotus flower).” Lotus is the poll symbol of the BJP.
Chaudhary hails from the Kurmi community, the state’s most prominent non-Yadav Other Backward Class (OBC) group. He began his political career at the grassroots level in the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation in the late 1980s, before becoming the Gorakhpur Deputy Mayor in the early 1990s. His first foray into national politics came in 1991, when he won his debut Lok Sabha election from Maharajganj at the age of 27. Though he launched his career from Gorakhpur, Maharajganj has become his stronghold over the years as he won this parliamentary seat six more times – in 1996, 1998, 2004, 2019, and 2024.
In 2021, after a Union Cabinet reshuffle, Chaudhary was given a Minister of State berth in the Finance Ministry as one of the party’s key OBC leaders ahead of the 2022 UP Assembly elections. After he retained his seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he was again inducted into Modi’s Cabinet.
Maulshree Seth is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, based in Lucknow. With over 15 years of experience in mainstream journalism, she has built a formidable reputation for her on-ground reporting across Uttar Pradesh. Her expertise spans a wide array of critical beats, including state politics, governance, the judiciary, and rural development.
Authoritativeness Maulshree’s work is characterized by depth and historical context. Her coverage of high-stakes state elections and landmark judicial rulings has established her as an authoritative voice on the intersection of law and politics in Northern India. She is frequently recognized for her ability to gain access to primary sources and for her nuanced understanding of the socio-economic factors that drive the world's most populous sub-national entity.
Trustworthiness & Ethical Journalism Her reporting is rooted in rigorous fact-checking and a steadfast dedication to neutral, unbiased storytelling. By prioritizing field-based verification—often traveling to the most remote corners of the state—she ensures that her readers receive a truthful and comprehensive view of events. ... Read More
